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Second baseman Brandon Phillips took part in batting practice with the Reds before Tuesday's game with the Red Sox, another step in his recovery from surgery last month to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.

"He's been swinging the bat pain free even with the vibration," Reds manager Bryan Price said of Phillips.

Price said he's confident Phillips will be ready for a minor-league rehab stint later this month, before the minor-league season ends.

While Price wouldn't rule out a rehab stint for Joey Votto, it sounds less likely. Votto, Price said, is still doing strengthening work and they hope he'll be ready for "baseball activity" by the last week-to-10-days of the month.

"That's just an optimist's view," Price said of that vague timetable. "There's really no way to tell 100 percent of when he will initiate his reintroduction to all the baseball stuff."

Votto has been on the disabled list with a distal quad strain in his left knee since July 8.